All That Baby Business
by TheoryofaDeadgirl
Summary: When one of their neighbors skips town for a few days she leaves her two twins babies in the care of Shane and Claire. With Michael and Eve out of town, they will need to learn how to take care of the babies - and fast. Will they finally get the hang of it and become baby-sitters of the year or will they end up putting the babies in more trouble than ever before? Clane cuteness!
1. Chapter 1

All That Baby Business

**Disclaimer: Rachel Caine owns everything but Layla, Lucy and Levi and the plot.**

Chapter One: Claire's POV

Claire Danvers had just popped a cold can of Coke open when the doorbell rang. She froze for a second then put her Coke on the table. Michael and Eve were out of town for a few days and Shane wasn't home – working or causing trouble, who knew? – and so she was alone. Morganville was a little, sun-bleached town in nowhereville Texas but it wasn't the sleepy town everyone might assume. It was dangerous and if you weren't careful, you'd get yourself killed. Or even if you were careful, really. Claire was used to the constant threats to her life by now. She grabbed the emergency vamp bag from under the sink and fished out a sharp, shiny silver stake with her name engraved on it. There was blood stuck in it and she couldn't remember just who's blood it was. Welcome to Morganville, she thought grimly.

She walked out the kitchen and peered out the livingroom window. It was technically still light out but some Vampires were old enough to be able to withstand the sun for a short amount of time – not good for the human population of Morganville. Claire was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not, in fact, a vamp outside her door looking for dinner. She snapped open all four locks on the front door and swung it open.

It was one of their neighbours from a couple of houses over, Layla. She worked at the music store with Michael sometimes and was 100% human. She was pretty with auburn hair and green eyes but she had a hard life and it was palpable in the way she sighed and how her smile always looked watered down and forced. Right now, she looked downright exhausted. Her hair was tied up in a lose bun and her clothes looked extremely ruffled, as if she'd slept in them and hadn't gotten changed yet. She had a duffle bag, bursting at the seams, thrown over her shoulder, a black suitcase at her feet and two nine month old babies crying on each hip – the twins, Lucy and Levi, Claire remembered. Layla was a 20 year old single mom and the story on the streets was that she was raped, fell pregnant and couldn't abort her babies. Claire thought she was actually handling all of that rather well. Layla almost fell down when Claire opened the door as she sagged with relief. Claire caught the duffle on her shoulder just as it slid down her thin arm.

"Claire!" Layla exclaimed frantically. "I need your help."

"Sure," Claire said, "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine but my mom got in a car accident yesterday and she is banged up pretty bad and I have to leave town for a while to take care of her."

"OK… so what do you need? A ride out of town or something? Do you want me to talk to Amelie?"

"Well, not exactly. It's more of a personal favour."

"What?"

"This might be asking too much but… Listen I really need someone to watch the kids for a few days."

"And you're asking me? I can't. I mean, I have school and a job and I don't know the first thing about babies—" Layla cut her off, just as her cellphone started to ring.

"Please, Claire. You're the only person I trust with my children. They'll be safe with you. I can't take them, Amelie won't let me." Before Claire could respond she placed the duffel bag on the floor inside the house and handed Claire baby Levi. She used her now free hand to answer her cell.

"Hello? Yeah, I'm on my way. No. Of course, I won't. They'll be fine. OK. Bye." She hung up. Claire gave her a what-the-hell look.

"I'm sorry for dumping the kids on you like this, but I trust you guys. And the others can help you out, right?"

"Actually, Michael and Eve aren't—"

"There's clothes and stuff in the bags and I put money in there for food, OK?" Layla shoved Lucy at Claire and started to make her way down the porch stairs. Lucy and Levi hadn't quit crying yet and both were squirming around in her arms. She was afraid she was going to drop them on their heads.

"Wait! Layla! I can't—"

Layla opened her car door and climbed inside, a little too quickly, Claire thought.

"Thanks for this, Claire! You're a life saver. I'll be back in a few days, a week at the most." She revved her engine, blew kisses to her kids and drive off, leaving Claire with two twin babies, a bag of baby grows and an empty house.

Well, until Shane got home, at least. She really wasn't looking forward to telling him they had two babies to watch for the next week. Maybe she would make a few tacos for later…

**Short chapter but I just want to see if anyone actually likes this so, yeah, review if you want me to write more. Thanks! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys, they were lovely. So, next chapter. How will Claire handle two babies all by herself? Review please!**

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All That Baby Business

Chapter Two

Claire didn't make tacos. The intention was definitely there and they would help her case with Shane immensely but it turned out that babies? They were the biggest attention whores. And Claire Danvers – science geek and technology extraordinaire – was stuck with two drooling, crying, unpredictable human beings in a house peppered with weapons and hazards. The best baby proofing she could do was place cushions over the wall sockets which she was pretty sure made them fire hazards. She was having the time of her life, really. And she thought looking after Myrnin and trying to keep him alive was an impossible task. Boy was she wrong. At least Myrnin's constant chatter and insane ramblings gave her some idea of what he wanted or didn't want or who he wanted to eat. Babies just sat there crying endlessly without the slightest hint of what they are crying about. Impossible little beings, Claire thought. Cute though.

Currently, Lucy and Levi were seated on the couch, propped up by blankets and each other. Claire placed cushions all around the couch in case they happen to fall off. She grabbed two teddy bears she found in the bags Layla left and gave them to the babies. They finally – finally – quit their crying long enough to see what she had given them. Both immediately started chewing on the ears of their bears, mewing quietly. Claire sagged in relief, rubbing at her forehead and took the moment of calm to see just what Layla had given her. It was mostly cute little matching oufits and tiny socks that kind of melted Claire's heart a little. There was also a hell of a lot of diapers which scared her a little. Just how often did babies poop anyway? And how long was Layla going to be gone for? Claire found a few bottles in one of the bags and a can of formula milk – she was glad the twins weren't breastfed. Heating up your neighbours boob milk might have been a tad awkward, cause, you know, reasons.

Claire was about to leave the room to go make up the formula – it couldn't be that hard, could it? – when she realized that you weren't supposed to leave babies alone. She stared at them whilst they swung their bears around, hitting each other and themselves mostly, before she got an idea. She darted out into the foyer and dragged the wheelbarrow that Shane had left there from when they were de-cluttering the attic a few days ago. She brought it to the couch and lined it in warm blankets and pillow. She placed Lucy and Levi in it together and gave them their bears back. Both of them seem confused for a minute before they effective gave her a whatever look and went back to chewing and squeezing. She sighed in relief and wheeled them into the kitchen and set the barrel beside the table – but not in grabbing reach, she knew a little better than that. She grabbed two bottles from the duffel, washed them out and then went about making the formula. The babies chose that moment to start wailing again so the whole thing was very stressing for Claire. She wasn't so sure she wanted kids now. Claire shushed the twins whilst trying to cool the bottles. She did that thing where you drip some milk onto your wrist to check the temperature or something, she'd once saw a mother do at Common Grounds. It felt OK to her. Grabbing the two bottles, she wheeled the twins back into the living room and switched the TV on – turning it to some kids channel with vibrant colors and happy-go-lucky hosts. It calmed them down a little.

"Come on, little lady," Claire said as she lifted Lucy out of the wheelbarrow – she still couldn't believe she had actually put them in there – and held her little head up.

Claire smiled as her warm, slight weight rested upon her lap. OK, she thought, they were pretty cute. Lucy's little blue eyes lit up at the sight of the bottle and she started sticking her small pink tongue out. Claire chuckled at her and put the bottle in her mouth. She started gulping instantly and it wasn't long before the bottle was empty and her thin eyelids were closed. Claire carefully put Lucy back in the wheelbarrow and lifted her brother out. He succumbed to the power of warm milk too and then both of them where soundly asleep. Claire gathered the bottles and washed them out – still very quietly.

She turned the TV to mute and flipped open her physics textbook, ready for a good few hours of study time – she didn't think she'd be getting any spare time in the next week, that's for sure. She'd read about six pages and scribbled two pages of notes when she heard the key turn in the front door. Her head snapped up and she shot a panicked look at the babies.

_Shit. Shane's home early__._

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**Uh-oh. What will his reaction be? Review and stuff to motivate me to update faster :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Third chapter and Shane's reaction. Review please and i'll update faster :) **

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All That Baby Business

Chapter Three

Claire jumped up and ran out to the foyer, cursing repeatedly under her breath. She looked behind her at the babies then back at the door as it opened. And then Shane was home, smelling like barbeque with messy hair and those brown eyes she loved so much. He looked surprised to find her waiting by the front door then he smiled at her.

"Honey, I'm home," he said sarcastically – which is pretty much how Shane said everything - and gathered Claire in his strong arms after locking the door again. They were in Morganville after all. Claire allowed herself a moment of calm before she broke the news to Shane. She had no idea how he was going to react.

She detached herself from his solid, warm chest and tried to pinpoint what kind of mood he was in. He looked down at her with a look in her eyes she knew all too well. She blushed and had to look away for a second. He stroked her hair back from her eyes, his gaze unflinching.

"Shane," she started nervously, looking down at his boots. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Mmm?" He said as he moved her shirt out of the way and slowly kissed up the length of her collarbone. It seriously distracted her. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. His lips found hers and he backed her up until she was against the wall with his hands on either side of her head and she was trapped. Shane demanded entrance to her mouth and she gladly let him. She was so caught up in the taste of Shane and his hands that she forgot about whatever it was she was supposed to tell him…

His hands found the button on her jeans and he skilfully undone it. Claire froze.

"Wait, Shane," she said as his hands went under her shirt. "We need—"

"Shh," she replied against her neck, his breath warm against her tender flesh. "Michael and Eve are gone and now we have the house all to ourselves and we haven't actually tried the stairs yet, you know."

She tried to protest in her mind but she was overwhelmed in a cloud of lust for Shane and anyway, the twins were fast asleep and would be for hours probably and if they were quiet—

Of course, the twins chose that precise moment to wake up and start bawling.

Shane pulled back from her and gave her a weird look. She bit her lip, trying to convey 'sorry' with her face.

"Claire. Tell me that's the TV."

"It's not the TV."

"What?" He turned away and walked into the living room. He halted at the doorway and stared at the twins as if he had no idea what they even were. Claire hovered nervously behind him.

"Claire, what's going on? These aren't like, yours, are they?" He stared down at her stomach then back to the crying twins.

"What! No! Of course, not. God, Shane."

"Well what the hell do you expect? We don't know any babies and here they are. Two bouncing babies in…Is that a wheelbarrow?"

"Yes, Shane. I put them in a wheelbarrow because, funny enough, we don't have any cots in this house and I can't carry them both around all of the time!"

"Jeez," Shane said, a smile playing around his mouth. "Calm it, CB. You'll upset Hanzel and Gretto over here."

"But—What? Urgh, you're so annoying." She pushed past an amused Shane and crouched down to the babies and tried to shush them. Lucy grabbed her hair and started tugging at it, smiling. Levi looked on with obvious delight. Shane wandered over and stared down at them all.

"So, Claire. You wanna fill me in on what's happening here?"

"We're babysitting Layla's kids."

He looked confused. Claire rolled her eyes. "The hot redhead from down the street."

"Ah, Layla. I didn't know she had kids."

"Well, you're usually to busy checking out her ass to notice the stroller in front of her."

"Yeah, you're probably right there, Sherlock."

Claire shook her head at him and picked Lucy up. She smelled awful so Claire was guessing she needed a diaper change. Oh God, she was not looking forward to that.

"How long are we babysitting for then? A few hours or something? Cause I wanna get my gaming on." Shane said after a minute.

"Er, well, just a few…days."

"Days! Claire, what the hell?"

"She was leaving town and she couldn't take the kids. She just showed up with them and I tried to tell her no but she just took off."

Shane rubbed his forehead and looked down at little baby Levi who was blowing bubbles with his salavia. She almost missed it but there was a definite smile on Shane's face for a second. She held Lucy in front of her face.

"You can't be mad at them. Look how cute they are."

Shane rolled his eyes but Claire could tell he wasn't mad anymore. He looked back down at the Levi and started laughing. Just chucked at first but then he was full-on-doubled-over laughing.

"What?" Claire said.

"You put them in a _wheelbarrow._" He replied, still laughing.

"Well, I had no choice," she said defensively. "Layla didn't leave a crib or whatever."

"Actually…" He spun around and stopped up the stairs without another word.

"Shane? Where are you going?" Claire called after him.

"You'll see." He shouted back.

"So, you're really not mad about this?"

He stopped on the stairs. "I'll get back to you on that." He ran up the stairs, out of sight.

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**So there you have it! Review and i'll love you forever!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews, guys. They really motivate me. Now for some baby time with Shlaire. Review please :)**

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All That Baby Business

Chapter Four

"Shane, do you even know how to put this thing up?" Claire said, staring down at the pile of wood on the living room floor.

"It can't be that hard," he replied as he picked up a few of the bigger pieces.

The thing that Shane had disappeared to get was an old crib that had been gathering dust for at least a decade in the attic of the Glass house. It was an old Glass crib that Michael's great-great granddad had built. Claire had never seen it but she tried to avoid hanging out in dark, dusty attics if she could help it. The last time – and first time – Claire had been up in the attic was when Myrnin and she had needed costumes so they could attend the welcoming feast Bishop had arranged for the citizens of Morganville. Claire hadn't cartwheeled since that night. Or trusted Myrnin completely. The crib was painted a dark cherry wood with smooth edges and a polished finish. It was just what they needed – granted Shane actually managed to put it up, that is. Plus, that wheelbarrow was really quite dirty, Claire thought.

"Damn. I need glue or something," Shane cursed and dropped the wood on the floor. It clattered loudly and the babies babbled in, what Claire thought sounded like, annoyance. Shane stood up and sighed down at his failed attempt at being Builder-of the-Year.

"You're going to try and _glue _a crib together? A crib where two six month old babies are going to be sleeping?" Claire asked, incredulously.

"Got any better ideas?"

Claire sighed. "Nope."

"Do we have any glue?" Shane asked after a moment.

"I don't think so…"

"Great. We should go to the store in the morning and get some…I don't know, baby things?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. So, what do we do now?"

Claire looked down at the babies, back in their wheelbarrow and staring up at Shane and Claire with big, blue eyes. She smiled down at them whereas Shane just looked uncomfortable with the whole thing. He rubbed the back of his neck and Claire remembered that he'd been working a ten hour shift and must have been exhausted.

"Hey," she said and wrapped her arms around Shane's waist, "why don't you go take a shower and then we can work out what we're supposed to be doing here. OK?"

He kissed her lightly on the lips. "You're amazing, you know that."

"I know. Now go. I think your stench is making the babies upset."

He licked her nose, laughing to himself, before he went upstairs. Claire wiped at it with her sleeve and sat down heavily on the couch. The twins were quiet for now but she knew it wouldn't last for very long. She went back to studying and left them to amuse themselves for the time being.

Shane came back down stairs about a half hour later wearing a loose white shirt, the shoulders specked with drops of water from his hair and a pair of grey slacks, feet bare. Claire really wanted to…well, yeah, she knew what she wanted but, alas, they had two – currently in desperate need of a diaper change – babies to contend with. It was going to be a very long week.

"Oh, hell," Shane said, wrinkling his nose up. "That smells worse than the basement at Common Grounds."

Claire bit her lip and put her textbooks down. "Yeah, I know. I guess we better change them."

"Oh, hell no. I am not doing that. You're the one who got us into this so you get to handle the crap."

"Shane, that so unfair!"

"That's life, CB." He shrugged and headed towards the kitchen, walking backwards.

"I'll wear that ridiculous lingerie if you change Levi and I'll handle Lucy."

He stopped walking and gave her a shocked look. Then he shrugged, grinned and said, "Alright then. Bring it on. Where's the diaper bag?"

"Seriously? It was that easy?"

"Hey, I'm a man of instinct, baby. And when you get an offer like that, only a lesser man would refuse."

Claire rolled her eyes. "You are such a dumb-ass."

Claire threw the diaper bag at him and waited as he picked Levi out of the wheelbarrow. He started giggling adorably whereas Shane looked alarmed.

"Claire, why is it doing that? Is that supposed to happen? Oh, hell, he just drooled on my arm."

"Relax, Shane. He just likes you. It's a baby not a bomb." Claire said, grinning. And she thought she was clueless.

Claire flattened a towel on the coffee table and placed Lucy on top of it. She unfastened the buttons on her babygrow and – after a few minutes of what-the-hell-do-I-do-next – managed to get the dirty diaper off. And, God, did it smell awful. Shane was holding Levi at arm length and staring down at Claire with a mix of disgust and amazement. Claire hurriedly cleaned Lucy off and attached a clean diaper to her. Lucy babbled away in baby-speak the whole time, staring at the TV. It was easier than Claire thought, actually.

"Hey, Claire," Shane said, "should she be eating that?"

Claire looked down at Lucy and saw that she had managed to get a hold off a baby wipe and was chewing on the corner of it. Claire snatched it from her so abruptly that she started to cry, her pink lips quivering.

"Uh oh. Now you've done it."

"Not funny, Shane. Or helpful."

Claire picked Lucy up and rubbed her back as she walked her up and down the living room, hushing her. Shane put Levi down on the table and fumbled for the clippy buttons on his baby grow. He got them undone, and after a deep breath, undid the diaper. He whooped.

"Shane!" Claire hissed, "Shut up. I'm trying to get Lucy asleep."

He chuckled and looked down at Levi. "Way to go, little dude. Nothing but pee here. And that means I won't smell like Auntie Claire over there. Little high five." Shane lightly smacked his big, rough palm against Levi's little, soft one. Levi giggled and started kicking his legs around. Shane laughed at him and gave him a clean diaper without too much difficultly.

Lucy had finally stopped crying and had fallen asleep in Claire's arms. She put her finger to her lips when Shane started to speak. He nodded and picked Levi up from the coffee table. Claire put Lucy back in the wheelbarrow and tiptoed around the back of the couch and bent down to Shane's level. Levi smiled at her over Shane's shoulder.

"I'm going to go take a shower," Claire whispered into Shane's ear. "Try to get Levi asleep and if you wake Lucy up you'll be sleeping alone for the next month."

"Wow, you do run a tight ship, don't you?" He whispered back and tilted his head back so he could kiss Claire on the lips. She smiled at him and darted up the stairs for a much needed shower.

When she tiptoed back downstairs a half hour later, Shane was fast asleep with an equally asleep Levi lying on his chest and an Xbox controller in one hand. The TV was on mute and so Lucy was still asleep. Claire smiled at them all for a moment before she checked all the locks on the doors and windows and switched the TV off. She carefully lifted Levi from Shane's chest and put him beside his sister. Claire grabbed a blanket and wrapped the babies up in it then climbed onto the couch, laying her head on Shane's chest and pulling the old afghan over them both. Shane stirred a little and wrapped his arms around Claire, pulling her close. Claire fell asleep quickly with a smiled on her face.

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**So, how was it? Review and let me know if it was crap or not and if I should continue this.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys. Sorry this took so long, I had a lot going on but i'm back now and in writing mode. So, yeah, enjoy and give us a wee cheeky review, eh? :)**

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All That Baby Business

Chapter 5

Claire was awoke softly, still on the couch with the afghan wrapped around her but Shane wasn't spooned against her back anymore. She sat up abruptly, disorientated. The Texas sun was beaming through the gaps in the drapes and, with a glance at the clock, she realized it was just after eleven in the morning. She'd been asleep for a while then. She almost freaked out about that until she remembered that she wasn't scheduled for any classes today at the university. She looked around the living room and saw the wheelbarrow beside the coffee table. Crap. She knew she was forgetting something. She threw the blanket of her and jumped up, making her head spin, and stumbled across the living room.

"Shane?" she called, heading towards the kitchen.

"In here." He replied from the kitchen.

"Shane, where are Lucy and Levi?"

Claire knew that Shane wouldn't have allowed anything to happen to them but, really, why hadn't she woken up earlier? She was usually a light sleep – heavy sleepers were eating by the vampires in Morganville. That was pretty obvious.

When Claire entered the kitchen she stopped at the door, holding it open with her arm. Shane looked over at her and smiled.

"Shane? What? How?" She let out an incredulous laugh and rubbed her eyes. "You're amazing, you know that, right?"

"I'm aware, yes." He replied as he tugged little Levi's t-shirt over his tiny, soft head.

Claire wasn't sure she was seeing this right. Shane was being… _domestic_. The kitchen was absolutely spotless, right down to the lime scale on the sink on the being scrubbed into oblivion. There was a pot of fresh coffee on the burner, two cups set out beside it, and a plate of bacon and eggs being kept warm under the grill. Claire thought her jaw was going to fall slack. And the babies? Well, they seemed fine. More than that – they looked happy and healthy. Oh. Claire hadn't expected that one.

She poured herself some coffee, took a few slip on autopilot and watched Shane as he finished getting the babies dressed. Shane had placed both the babies on the table on a blanket and they were both staring up at him with big gumsy smiles and bright eyes. Levi was wearing a tiny little pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt – he was dressed almost exactly like Shane actually, except he had little Converse boots on whereas Shane had his scuffed boots. Claire thought they both looked adorable and she couldn't help but smile at them like an idiot. Shane was in the process of putting Lucy into a teeny lilac dress. He was having some trouble with the pair of white tights as she kept kicking her little legs around every time he tried to get near her feet. He laughed at her and ticked the souls of her tiny feet, laughing harder when Lucy started giggling like a maniac. Levi laughed too and waved his arms up and down excitedly. Claire's heart melted a little as she watched them. She didn't want to intrude on their cute moment but she was curious.

"Shane, how long have you been up exactly?"

He shrugged with his back to her. "Couple of hours, I guess."

"And where did you get the clothes?"

"In one of the bags Layla left with us."

"Oh."

Claire drained her coffee and started on the plate of food, carefully sliding it out from under the grill. It didn't look like Shane needed any help and she was starving. She couldn't let Shane's efforts go to waste, after all. Shane finally managed to get Lucy's legs into her tights after a solid five minutes of her kicking about. Shane might have a few bruises on his forearms later, Claire thought. She finished her breakfast, wiped her hands off on her jeans and went to take a shower. Shane was too preoccupied with the twins the notice her leaving. She wasn't jealous. Of course, she wasn't…

After her shower she quickly got dressed, grabbed her bagpack and went back downstairs. Shane and the twins were on the couch, the twins propped up by cusions. Shane was playing a zombie video game and commentating for them. They were both staring at the TV intently. They looked a little scared actually. Claire darted over to the TV and muted it. Shane looked up at her.

"Hey! What gives?"

"Your gun was scaring them, Shane!"

"No, it wasn't. They were fine. They thought it was awesome. Right, guys?" He looked down at the twins and grinned at them. They babbled at him for a minute.

"See?" he said, smirking at her.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to go see Myrnin for a while. Will you be OK with them alone for a few hours?"

He paused his game, mid-kill. "What? No. I have to work in an hour. You'll have to take them."

"You're not serious? I'm not taking two six month old babies to Myrnin's! It's _Myrnin's _Shane! He'll try to experiment in them… or eat them!"

"He's not that bad, Claire."

"No. But he's that _crazy_!"

"I can't call in sick again, Claire. I already did that last week when you wanted my sweet ass the whole day and wouldn't let me out of your bed, remember?"

Claire blushed and sighed. "Shane, I can't take them."

"Well, you're going to have to, unless you leave them here alone." He unpaused his game and continued playing. "You could always choose to babysit the _actual_ babies today and not your boss, you know."

"Yeah. I know, Shane. Thanks." She snapped. Claire dropped her backpack on the floor and flopped down on the armchair and looked at the twins, as if they had any ideas. She rubbed her head, suddenly stressed. Shane looked at her, put his controller down and got up. He came over to her armchair and bent down so his eyes were level with his. He stroked hair away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said. "But I really do have to work. Can't you leave Myrnin's today?"

"No. I have to go over his equations for some new machine he's making, that'll do God only knows what."

"OK. So take them with you then. Myrnin won't even notice them, probably and I'll drop you off with them and pick you up after my shift. How's that sound?"

Claire bit her lip. "OK. I guess that could work. Thanks, Shane."

"It's what I'm here for." He leaned forward and kissed her so sweetly and lovingly that Claire's bad mood dissolved in an instant. She wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him back. It went from innocent and sweet to not-quite-PG in an instant and Claire had to remind herself that there were babies watching them.

She got up and went out into the hall to get the stroller Layla had left. Shane picked the twins up with one strong arm and walked them to the car, after locking and securing the house. He strapped them into the bench with Claire sitting beside them in the back. He climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine of Eve's Hearst, peeling away from the curb. Claire looked down at the twins and silently hoped that Myrnin, had fed already today because she wasn't so sure she could take him down with a sliver arrow if she had a crying baby in each arm.

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**I wrote it and even I was awwwing at this chapter. But, yeah, let me know what you thought :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: ****Hey, guys. I'm sorry this chapter is so late. I've been super busy and was in hospital for a while so I couldn't get anything wrote for a while. Anyway, this is a somewhat short chapter but hope you enjoy it. Reviews would be great, thanks. **

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All That Baby Business

Chapter 6

Shane peeled the hearst away from the crib in a cloud of dust. Claire exhaled sharply and looked down at the twins in their double stroller. She pulled the hood of the stroller down over their eyes to protect them from the blistering Texas sun. She pulled her backpack on, making sure her stakes were in easy reach and grabbed the handles of the stroller. _This is a really stupid idea, Claire_, she thought to herself as she pushed the stroller down the alleyway that led to Myrnin's lab. Right into the lair of the Trapdoor spider. With two plump, sweet smelling babies. Just when she was about to turn around and go home with the twins, her cell phone started ringing. She fished it out from her pocket and squinted at the screen. It was Myrnin.

"Claire? Where are you? I have been waiting for ever so long. There is work to be done, you know. Always so much work about these parts, you see."

Claire bit her lip. He sounded almost completely sane, if not a bit frantic. She thought it best if she warn him about what she was bringing him. Myrnin didn't appreciate surprises much, especially if he couldn't eat them.

"I'm almost here. I just…Myrnin? I'm not coming alone today and I –"

"What ever do you mean, you're not alone? Who else could be accompanying you? Is it that Collins boy? I can't guarantee his safely if it is. I work with very dangerous liquids, you know…"

"It's not Shane. It's…nevermind. Just promise me you will behave yourself, OK?"

"I'm always on my best behaviour."

"Myrnin!"

"Very well. I promise I won't taste the blood of your companion. Will that suffice?"

"Yeah, sure." Claire hung up, slipped the cell back into her jean pocket and started pushing the stroller down the alley again. When she reached the stairs of the lab she realised she'd need some help.

"Myrnin?" she called out, her voice echoing off the brittle walls of the shack.

"Claire, I am busy!" He called back and clattered some glassware together, for emphasis she assumed.

"I need your help!" She called back from the stairs. She glanced at the babies and saw that they were staring ahead vacantly, not making a sound which was a relief. She didn't want to think about what Myrnin would do in order to shut them up.

There was a tinkling sound - Claire guessed he had dropped a glass mixer or something. She hoped it wasn't valuable – and then Myrnin was there on the stairs, staring at Claire and the twins like her head was half hanging off and the babies had turned into flesh-eating grubs. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, shook his head a little and silently picked up the double stroller with his incredible strength and walked with it down the stairs, with apparently no effort at all. Claire followed behind silently, her footsteps light on the stairs. Myrnin – surprisingly carefully – placed the stroller on the stone floor and took a step away. He stared down at Claire, his gaze going from her stomach to the babies, much like Shane's had. God, did she look fatter or something? She was starting to feel offended.

"No, they're not mine, before you ask." Claire said, deadpan, slipping her backpack off her shoulders and dumping it beside the stairs like she always did.

"No, of course not," He replied flippantly, "You're far too small to fit two full grown babies out of your—"

"OK, I get the idea, Myrnin!"

"Yes, yes, alright." He spun around and stepped over the shattered glass on the floor and picked up a few old, dusty books. He threw one at Claire. She barely caught it in time before it tumbled onto the babies. Claire turned it over and saw from the spine that it was another book on Alchemy. She sighed.

"Myrnin, I leaned all this stuff months ago. Can't I do something else?" Claire knew she was whining but Alchemy was just so boring to her now. She loved books, true, but not re-reading the same thing over and over. She craved new information.

Myrnin looked at her over his shoulder. He looked semi-normal today. His eyes weren't doing that weird reflecting thing they did when he was having an off (meaning crazy) day and he was dressed normally, for him anyway in a long military style coat, purple button down shirt, black dress pants and clunky boots. He actually made the outfit work pretty well, Claire thought.

"Claire, who is the teacher and who is the student here?" He did everything but push his superior glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, but—"

"You cannot expect me to allow you to work with dangerous chemicals and equipment when you have two young babies to watch over."

Claire opened her mouth to respond and then snapped it shut. She had not expected that. In the years that she'd known Myrnin she'd yet to witness a time when he actually gave a crap about babies, let alone humans.

"Since when do you care about a couple of drooling babies, Myrnin?"

He grabbed a dark bottle of some unidentified liquid and popped the cork off. He sniffed it, made a face then pours some into a test tube before he answered, "Claire, I have been wandering this earth for many, many years. I am offended if you think I haven't produced a single offspring in that time."

Claire sat down on a wooden stool by one of table, after making sure the twins were content. They were napping, one soft head resting on the other.

"So you're telling me that you have children? With who?" Claire couldn't picture Myrnin being interested in children or anything that wasn't science or blood. But, then again, he seemed to love Bob (and Charlotte and Edgar, not that they'd lasted long, really but still).

Myrnin still wouldn't look at her. He was staring intently at the beakers in his hands, safety goggles forgotten on the table. "_Had_," was all he said.

"Oh, what happened?" Claire knew she might be over stepping some personal boundaries here but she was dying to know more about this domestic side of Myrnin. She'd never really considered the idea that he might have once had a family. That he wasn't always a mad scientist who had a tendency for reclusing and eating his visitors.

"It was centuries ago, Claire, there is no need to delve into the past when the present is so very present now, is there?" He had his professor voice on.

"But, can't you at least tell me—"

"No. Now get back to reading before I let Bob loose on those young ones of yours."

"They're not mine—"

"Read."

Claire huffed loudly, annoyed that Myrnin was being so boring today and flipped the cover of her book open. She started reading, trying to look defiant about it. She probably just looked confused. She'd read about three pages, even if she'd not actually took any of the words in, when the bookcase that covered the door to the portal started to shake and bang against the wall. Her head snapped up and she grabbed her backpack, sliding a vial of silver powder and her silver stake from the front pouch. Myrnin wasn't quick enough and, before he could reach it, the door to the portal smashed open and Claire saw a flash of fangs and white flesh before Myrnin attacked it. Needless to say, this woke the babies up.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so so sorry it took me so long to update. I've had a really busy, really hard couple of months but hopefully, i'm past that now. So yeah, new chapter, hope you like it :) As always, R&R!**

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_All That Baby Business_

Chapter Seven

The room was filled with movement and the sound of low growls. Claire backed the stroller up, trying to not draw too much attention to herself – well, more than the babies had already by smelling so, she guessed, delicious and with their loud crying. She wheeled the stroller into Myrnin's bedroom and closed the door, leaving the babies inside. She gripped her stake in a sweaty hand and stood in from of the door, watching as the two vampires spun around the room, knocking books and glassware over. Claire tried not to flinch when a beaker of sulfur fell over and splashed on several century old books. That hurt her geek too much. She watched nervously as Myrnin battled with the vampire. They were a blur of white skin and sharp fangs but Claire could see enough to know that the mystery vampire was no one she had ever met. And he was definitely male if his broad frame and particularly stubbly face was anything to go by. She gripped her stake tighter and spaced her feet, ready for an attack that never came.

The fighting stopped just as soon as it had started. The two vamps came to a standstill and stared each other off. Myrnin moved and then he had a hand around the throat of the other vampire. He tried to free himself but it was apparent he wasn't as strong or as old as Myrnin and so he just raised his hands in the air in the international sign for surrender. Myrnin slackened his hold on him but still held a bone-pale hand around his throat. Now that both vamps were still and acting somewhat normal, Claire could he first proper look at the other vampire.

He was younger than Claire had expected, maybe in his late twenties with hair as dark as Myrnin's, cut short and kept neat. He had bright green eyes and a soft, but somehow sarcastic looking mouth. He was quite handsome, Claire thought, then immediately felt weird about it. The number of vampires she had slight crushes on was getting a bit out of hand. But at least she could still count then _on _one hand. He was dressed simply in black jeans, black boots and a tight black tshirt. Claire eyed his defined muscled with silent approval.

"Who are you?" Myrnin asked the mystery vamp in his business voice. Claire would never admit it, but that voice always scared her a little. It reminded her of other times. Scary times when Myrnin had been ill with the vampire sickness a few years back. She shook off the memory and tried to focus on the scene in front of her.

"My name is Ellis." He answered calmly but the irritation in his deep voice was palpable. Myrnin rolled his brown eyes and sighed.

"Yes. Thanks for that useless information, Ellis. Now, who do you belong to?"

Ellis looked confused, he looked at Claire. She shrugged at him. She couldn't help him. He was the one that had burst through the portal and caused a panic. She didn't have any answers for him.

"Uh, A-Amelie, I guess."

"You guess?" Myrnin tilted his head, his eyes flashing with malice.

"No. I mean, Amelie sent me to collect you and your assistant." He swallowed around Myrin's fist. Claire took pity. She couldn't help it. He looked so lost.

"Um, Myrnin?" She said quietly but firmly.

"What, Claire? I'm busy." Myrnin snapped back, without looking at her.

"Maybe it would be easier to interrogate him if he could, you know, breathe."

Myrnin tilted his head back to look at her, nodded and released Ellis. He rubbed at his red throat and nodded at Claire in thanks. Myrnin pulled a chair out and gesterured for Ellis to sit on it. It wasn't a choice. He sat. Myrnin stared at him for a minute longer and then walked away. He went back to his rack of test tubes and went back to work. Claire and Ellis both squinted at him.

"Claire, find out what this creature wants. I am busy." Myrnin said as he poured liquid into a not-so-clean-looking beaker.

"Myrnin! I can't! I have to deal with that – that _other _thing!" Claire spluttered out, avoiding mentioning the two plump babies next door – although she was sure Ellis could her their breathing and heartbeats and probably some other stuff that made Claire feel really weirded out and tense.

"What other thing?" Myrnin said.

"The twins!"

Myrnin waved her concerns away. "Oh, they're fine, Claire. They're fast asleep. Now interrogate!"

"How do you know they are sleeping?" Claire asked wearily.

"Vampire." He said simply.

She rolled her eyes, sighed dramatically and pulled a chair over, sitting across from Ellis. He watched her with amusement.

"I'm Claire Danvers," she said, polite as ever, then added with clenched teeth, "and I'm an _apprentice _not an assistant."

He smirked at her. "My mistake. I'm merely the messenger."

"Yeah. About that. Why the huge drama when you came in? Why not just, I don't know, maybe _knock _like a sane person?"

He raised a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck. Claire wasn't sure if vampires could blush but she knew that if they could, Ellis would be beetroot by now. "I, er, freaked out a little when I came through the portal and I panicked. That's some travelling device you have there. Did you make it yourself?"

"Thanks. And it was a joint effort." She said. Myrnin scoffed as he wrote in an old notebook.

"So, you said that Amelie sent you, right?"

"Yes. She wants you and Myrnin to come to Common Grounds immediately."

Claire frowned. "Common Grounds? Why would Amelie want us there?"

"How should I know? Like I said, I'm just the messenger." He shrugged again. Claire was starting to get really irritated with how nonchalant he was being.

Myrnin slammed his notebook shut, put his pen down and marched over to hover over Ellis. "What is her business with us? She knows we are very busy here, me and Claire, so there must be a grand reason."

"Dude, what's the big deal? Did I interrupt you two banging or something 'cause if I did, my bad, man, I can total—"

Myrnin grabbed him by the throat again, lifting him up and out of his seat. Ellis didn't even try and flail this time, he just looked Myrnin straight in the eye, like he was afraid that if he looked away he'd get his head bitten off. Which, in all fairness, he might. Myrnin's fangs slid down slowly and flashed in the light of the lab. His eyes went very dark and Claire could tell how furious he was. Claire was just embarrassed.

"Do not utter a single sound, you dispensable peasant. Go back through the portal and tell Amelie that we're on our way. And do it all without pause and noise. Oh, and you're lucky Claire is in this room or you'd be limbless right now."

Myrnin released him and Ellis slide down. He lowered his gaze from the both of them and silently backed away until his back was to the portal. Myrnin waved at him and he slipped through the portal with the silent grace all vampires possessed. The portal snapped shut behind him.

"Well, Claire, it seems we are needed elsewhere. Off we go then" Myrnin grabbed his favorite duster from a pile on the floor, shucked it on over his clothes and walked towards the portal, jolly as ever. He really was Bipolar, Claire thought bewilderingly. He stopped and looked back at her, looking confused. "We don't have all day, Claire."

"I can't go! I have the twins asleep next door, Myrnin." Claire said.

"The what? Oh, the human children. Ah, yes, well, I'm sure they'll be fine down here for a while. We can always check on them later. Now come along—"

"Are you kidding? I cannot leave two nine month old babies in your spider infested-vampire-frequented-highly-flammable lab!"

"My lab is _not _'spider-infested'. Bob loves it here and he knows not to lay his eggs where he shouldn't," he said proudly, brushing lint from his coat.

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Fine. We can take them." He said finally.

"No, we can't. What if we're walking into a blood bath? You know this can't be anything good. We're in Morganville, Myrnin."

"Well, what do you propose then? You must be in attendance."

"I guess, I could get a baby-sitter somehow…"

"That's the fighting spirit. Now drop them off and we'll be on our way. I'm very curious, you know." Myrnin faced the portal again.

"I can't bring the babies through the portal either." Claire said in a bored voice. God, didn't Myrnin know anything about children.

He sighed loudly, stripped his jacket off and plunked down in the nearest chair. "Be back here in a half hour, sans babies, Claire. We're already terribly late, you're ruining my reputation."

After Claire had made it out of the doors of Myrnin's shack with the twins in their stroller – thankfully, still asleep - she rolled it down the lane and came out at the Day house. She bumped the stroller up the porch stairs and quietly knocked on the white wooden door, trying not to wake the babies. After some very good – Claire thought at least – safety orientated arguments with Grandma Day, Claire had found herself a baby sitter and still had ten minutes to spare in her Myrnin-set alarm clock. She made a mental note to stock up on anti-vamp weapons before she went anywhere near Common Grounds. She didn't have a good feeling about this…


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: New chapter for you! Review and let me know what you think as it motivates me to write faster! Enjoy :)**

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All That Baby Business

_Chapter Eight_

It turned out that Claire didn't need an entire duffel bag bursting with weapons… She needed two. When she and Myrnin stepped through the portal into Common Grounds, the scene they found was surprising and entirely terrifying. At least to Claire it was. A quick glance at Myrnin showed he was definitely amused.

The shutters were down on the sizable windows and all the tables and chairs were stacked up against the east wall. Amelie and Oliver stood around a single chair in the middle of the floor. There was a few of Amelie's bodyguards in the corner, hovering silently. And sitting on that chair was Jason Rosser. And he was…snarling. His hands and feet were bound to a very unstable looking chair with thin metal chains and Claire was sure the silver must be hurting him but he still struggled and pulled on his restraints. He looked angry… and crazy. Like he had the vampire virus. That worried her. A lot.

Claire and Myrnin stepped up to stand besides Amelie. As general rule Claire tried to avoid putting any less than three feet between her and Oliver. He may appear as a helpless hippy, but Claire knew he was one of the most dangerous vamps she knew. Amelie was dressed as her usual Ice-Queen persona in pale white with her blond hair pinned up gracefully, on top of her head. She barely glanced at them as she spoke.

"You're late."

"Correct," Myrnin said simply.

"And you ruffled my messenger."

"He was rude."

"Can we get this over with?" Oliver snapped at Amelie. So his and Myrnin's relationship hadn't improved then. Good to know.

"Of course," said Amelie, clasping her hands behind her back. "Now, as you can see Jason Rosser isn't handling the changes that have overtaken him in his new status as vampire."

Claire looked at Jason for the first time and saw that he was still snarling, snapping his jaws like a rabid dog. He was wearing his usual black hoodie and jeans and – Claire didn't actually think it was possible – but the clothes were even more beaten up and disgusting looking than they had been when he was human and homeless, when Claire had first came to Morganville years ago. There was gory lines of blood dripping down from his mouth. The blood looked fresh. Too fresh to make Claire feel comfortable. And she had a feeling that it wasn't from a blood bag. Jason's eyes were no longer the dark brown that he shared with his sister, but were now a muddy red color. Overall, he looked positively deranged. Human Jason was dangerous enough and God knows the amount of times that he's tried to kill Claire, so vamp Jason being on a murder spree wasn't a comforting thought.

"Understatement," Claire muttered under her breath. Then realised that she was the only human in the room. Ergo, everyone heard her comment, including Jason who snarled a very rude word at her.

"Children, behave." Oliver said as Claire opened her mouth to retort. She shut herself up before she got herself killed.

Amelie ignored them both. "And, whether he is just embracing the urges he had when he was human or if his true vampire nature is taking over, it has come to my notice that Jason has been drinking the blood of the university students. Particularly, those who are female and not native to Morganville."

"Stop it, Amelie. You're making me hungry again," Jason drawled in a deep, disturbing voice. He was watching Claire very carefully and she could have sworn he was watching her pulse beat beneath her skin. That was unsettling.

"Yes, and this is the problem," Amelie said smoothly. "Too many deaths at the University will attract the media and therefore the public and we cannot risk exposure. That could be the end of our species."

Claire nodded silently. Myrnin sighed loudly, puffing his cheek out. He toyed a strand of his shoulder length dark hair around his slender finger. Utterly bored, Claire guessed.

"Ah, yes," he said in a deadpan voice. "Very interesting. Why does _this_," he looked down at Jason with a look of disgust, "matter concern Claire and I. We are very busy at the lab."

Oliver scoffed. Myrnin glared.

"The reason you were requested here is so you could observe the problem first hand and the servierty of the situations, and come up with a suitable solution." Amelie said.

"Solution?" Claire said, confused. She was trying not to sound rude but why did Ameilie want her to be the one to stop Jason's murdering? Couldn't they get someone who wasn't as…juicy as her? Ugh, she needed a better job. "What can we do?"

"Use your vast knowledge of science to sedate his blood lust."

"What?" Claire replied.

Myrnin spoke. "You want us to find a cure for bloodlust? That's insane. You can't believe that is possible."

"I believe it is. My father was working on a cure many decades ago. I will send over his notes which I have preserved for a time such as thing. You must get to work immediately."

By 'father' Amelie meant Bishop, who had come to Morganville some time ago and turned the town's residents – vampire and human - into captives. Well, more than they usually were, at least. Bishop was thankfully and finally dead.

"This will take some time, Amelie." Myrnin said, as he started to pace up and down the length of the store. Oliver pulled a chair over and sat down, folding his arms.

"I'm aware, Myrnin. But I have every faith in you. In the meantime, Jason will be locked in confinement with twenty-four hour guards and one blood bag per day."

Jason snapped a curse and rattled his silver chains. Claire was scared that the poor wooden chair was going to collapse under the strain of his strength.

"We will need a test subject." Myrnin muttered.

"Jason will be available at your request." Oliver replied.

"Dick," Jason spat out.

"Amelie, I have a business to run. Can we wrap this up?"

"Yes, of course, Oliver. Claire and Myrnin, must begin work on a cure for bloodlust in new vampires tomorrow morning. I insist on everything being documented – chemicals, methods, theories – and I demand a progress report twice daily."

Claire felt overwhelmed and, quite frankly, rather terrified already. She knew that when Amelie set you a task, to fail it might equal a death sentence in this town. She had come too close to death too many times and she was determined to grow old with Shane. And if Amelie wanted her to work with Jason Rosser, then she guessed she'd have to work with Jason Rosser. And maybe bring a few dozen stakes with her at the lab tomorrow… And, crap. What was she going to do about Lucy and Levi?

Damn you, Layla, Claire thought.

Claire and Myrnin returned to the lab via Portal, after ensuring Amelie they would begin work as of tomorrow, and she called Shane to come pick her up immediately. It was starting to get dark out and she was worried that her, Shane and two plump babies were simply too good a buffet for a vamp to pass up.


End file.
